Semakaleng Mathebula, South Africa's first Black female hot-air balloon pilot, along with ground crew, prepare a hot-air balloon before take off in Johannesburg, South Africa, May 15, 2022. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham
HARTBEESPOORT, South Africa (Reuters) - Semakaleng Mathebula fires up the burner, aims a giant blue-orange flame toward a multicoloured balloon and watches as it fills with hot air and begins to lift off the ground.
The 27-year-old is South Africa's first Black hot air balloon pilot, and one of few women participating in the niche sport, which traditionally has been the domain of the white and privileged.
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